MENZEL ANNOYED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18590, 28 December 1934, Page 11

MENZEL ANNOYED

ROWDY TENNIS CROWD

DEMONSTRATION AT BRISBANE

BRISBANE, Doc. 19

Laughing, jeering, and in some instances “booing” the Czecho-Slovakian tennis champion, Roderick Menzel, a portion of the* 20C0 spectators at the international match at Milton courts on Saturday greatly upscjl both the visiting and the home players, as well as ofiicials and tho bulk of the onlookers. “I have! never, in all my experience of tennis, encountered anything quite so bad,” said Menzcl oil Saturday night, while Maier also deplored particularly the laughing and jeering. The cause of the trouble was that Menzel did not understand the Brisbane crowd, and the crowd did not appreciate the fact that he perhaps is the most temperamental player in big tennis. The crowd was particularly amused when a crying baby in the stand earned Menzel’s disapproval. The spectacle of the - 6ft. din. giant stopping play and asking, as lie also did last Friday, that tho baby ho removed, was responsible for roars of laughter. Menzel seemed to ignore the early laughter, but in tho doubles with Maier he showed resentment in r.o uncertain maimer. Even applause during rallies caused him to ejaculate in bis own language, and when the crowd again laughed he appealed to the umpire, Mr. C. A. Edwards. “They are cannibals. I. cannot play with them carrying on like this,” Melized exclaimed to an official. He was obviously distressed, and Maier’s concentration was also affected, but portion of the crowd made no allowance. A number whistled, and uncomplimentary epithets were directed at Menzel. “Mr. Youdale, manager of the Australian Davis Cup team, said recently that the Czecho-Slovakian crowd upset Crawford and others in Prague,” said Menzell last night, “but I say definitely the crowds at Prague and Paris cannot be compared with the crowd at Milton today. We have been invited to Australia, and wo are anxious to reveal our best form. Yet the erow'd will not let us. They will not oven show us any respect. It, is impossible to concentrate while they arc whistling and howling.”